NBA culture is incredibly far-reaching, as basketball is rarely, if ever, just about basketball. The players are versatile people with an incredible variety of interests and hobbies, and the cultural intersection between basketball and those spheres is more or less inevitable.

Chief among them (and not just at the NBA level) are hip-hop and video games. The crossover is fairly obvious: one is a genre of music that functions as the soundtrack to the league, and the other a deeply embedded part of the traveling NBA lifestyle. Players can hear their names dropped, make an album of their own, or meet and greet the music industry celebs that are regulars on NBA sidelines. They can challenge their friends to games online from the comfort of their hotel room, have an option for entertainment at odd hours, and even play as themselves through NBA gaming titles.

The lines between the three are fuzzier than ever, and to be a fan of any one of the three — basketball, hip-hop, video games — makes you, even unknowingly, a fan of the others as well.

So it’s only natural that I (thanks to the fine folks at GameStop) give you guys a chance to integrate all three of those worlds at once with a chance for some serious personal benefit.

First, GameStop will be hosting a DJ Hero Battle this Saturday, March 6th, at over 100 different GameStop store locations in the metroplex. The events will go from 10 AM to 9 PM at all of the official locations, and if you stop by, compete, and enter your score online, you’ll have a chance to win a pretty tremendous Mavs prize package. The package includes:

A chance to DJ for a night at center court for a Mavs game

Suite Night – 10 tickets to take in a game from a luxury suite, including the minimum food & beverage package

A $100 gift card to the Mavs Fan Shop

A $100 gift card to GameStop

An Autographed Dirk Nowitzki Authentic Jersey

10 Dirk Bobbleheads

Not bad, eh?

And second, to get everyone amped for the Battle, I’ll be hosting a little contest of my own here at The Two Man Game. In the spirit of GameStop’s DJ Hero Battle, I want everyone to get in the proper frame of mind. With prizes on the line, all you have to do to enter is drop some Mavs-centric rhymes of your own. Just comment on this post (or send me an email at thetwomangame[at]gmail.com) with a short verse that’s either directly or indirectly related to the Mavs, and you’re in.

Here’s the thing: it’s all about creativity. So feel free to go the mash-up route if you so choose, or if you just want to pen your own verse, that’s cool too. Maybe you want to take a bit from “Empire State of Mind,” but make it all about Dallas from Dirk’s point of view. Maybe you want to spin Drake’s “Last name ever, first name greatest” line for your ultimate ode to Matt Carroll. Hey, I’m not here to judge.

Well, I guess I am. Two winners will be picked based on creativity and quality, so bring your A-game. And hey, if this type of music isn’t your scene, then by all means; feel free to write lyrics or mash-up existing ones in whatever format you like, as long as it’s somehow related to the Mavs.

As for what’s at stake: one $100 gift card for NBA.com and one $100 gift card for GameStop. That’s a lot of dough for just a little bit of work, so you might as well give it a try, right? So let’s get this party started. I’m anxious to see what you guys can come up with. Remember to send in all submissions via the comments on this post or through my email by 9 PM central time on Saturday, March 6th, and be sure to check out GameStop’s DJ Hero Battles going on all throughout the Dallas area this Saturday.

Recently Hollinger frontin’, saying we ain’t nothin’,
So Rick just speaks his peace, works on Shawn’s release.
Cuban with the press release, callin’ him obese.
Caron, asking if Damp wants it, you got Hey, flaunt him,
These Mavs are bullish, we on em.

Donnie, Donnie, Donnie, can’t you see
Sometimes this team just hypnotizes me,
And I just love its winning ways
This is why your dad broke, and you’re so paid

Blaine

Ode to Kurtis Blow

The Mavericks are my favorite team
I like the way JKidd dribbles through the seams
Just like Dirk’s the King in a pinch
So is Jason Terry, comin’ off the bench
I like when Matrix takes it to the hoop
My favorite play is the alley oop
I like the pick and roll, I like the two man game
Cause its basketball and I’m Insane Blaine